Fresh Face

In the grand scheme of time, 729 minutes is not very substantial. It's just over 12 hours. That's only half a day.

But in the soccer world, 729 minutes is an eternity. Just ask the Pennsylvania women's soccer team. For the Quakers, 729 minutes represented over seven games--the entire 1998 season.

That season was defined by those 729 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. Penn was unbeaten and unscored upon. It was a streak of dreams. Unfortunately for the Quakers, the streak is no Moore.

Colleen Moore, a freshman forward on the Harvard women's soccer team, pinched the Quakers collectively and woke them from their sweet slumber with one swift kick on an overcast weekend afternoon.

At the 69:22 mark of Saturday's match at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, Moore happened upon a ball in the Penn goal box--graciously left there by Harvard junior forward Beth Zotter--and deposited it in the back of the Penn goal.

Not only was Moore's goal the first given up by the Quakers this year, it also tied the game at 1-1, leaving the Crimson in position to secure its eventual 2-1 victory and remain unbeaten in the Ivy League.

In addition to its game-time magnitude, Moore's tally ushered in the scoring era for the Class of 2002. It was the first goal scored by a freshman for the women's soccer team this season.

Moore has been in the starting lineup since Harvard's leading scorer Gina Foster went down with a sprained ankle on Sept. 26. Foster's condition is day-to-day, but Moore has taken full advantage of her extended playing time by immediately contributing to the Crimson's potent offensive attack.

For bursting Penn's bubble, for establishing herself as a current and future Harvard soccer standout and for admirably representing the freshman class, The Crimson salutes Colleen Moore as its Athlete of the Week.